No. 11 St. Cloud State Volleyball Set to Meet No. 2 Wayne State in NSIC Tournament Semifinal Match

Friday, November 21

Gangelhoff Center • St. Paul, Minn.

5 p.m.

St. Cloud State

(2) #2 Wayne State

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Abby Wachal vs. Southwest Minnesota State NSICTQF 11-18-25

Photo by: Kayden Kircher

No. 11 St. Cloud State Volleyball Set to Meet No. 2 Wayne State in NSIC Tournament Semifinal Match

11/20/2025 4:51:00 PM | Volleyball

NSIC Tournament Central Match Day Central

No. 3 seed Huskies continue postseason play against No. 2 seed WSC at Gangelhoff Center in St. Paul Friday

ST. CLOUD, Minn. – No. 11 St. Cloud State Volleyball (24-6 overall, 18-2 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference) continues postseason play with a NSIC Tournament Semifinals match against No. 2 Wayne State on Friday evening. First serve between the No. 3 Huskies and No. 2 seed WSC is scheduled for 5 p.m. at the Gangelhoff Center on the campus of Concordia-St. Paul in St. Paul.

NSIC Tournament Homepage

FOLLOW THE HUSKIES
The match will be streamed live on the NSIC Network*. Additionally, fans can listen to the match on 97.5 FM RadioX where KVSC talent Joey Hudson will have the call. Live stats will be provided by CSP and tickets can be purchased here.

Match 31 – vs. (2) #2 Wayne State (Gangelhoff Center // St. Paul) – Friday, Nov. 21 / 5 p.m. / Watch ($ - NSIC Network) / Live stats / Listen (97.5 FM RadioX)

Links to each coverage option can also be found on the St. Cloud State Volleyball match day central or schedule page.

*Note - The NSIC semifinals and championship will be streamed on the NSIC Network for a charge of $10 per match or $15 for a tournament pass. Fans are encouraged to purchase access prior to the match as an account will need to be set up in order to access the matches. FAQ and troubleshooting information is available on the NSIC Network Help page.

SERIES HISTORY
SCSU is 15-23 all-time against Wayne State but are 6-4 in its last 10 matchups against the Wildcats. The Huskies dropped the lone regular season meeting of 2025, a back-and-forth five setter in Wayne. SCSU is 8-3 all-time against the Wildcats when playing at a neutral site and 3-0 against WSC in the NSIC Tournament, earning a 3-0 quarterfinal win in 2019 and semifinal victories in 2021 (3-2) and 2023 (3-2).

NSIC TOURNAMENT HISTORY
The Huskies own a 14-2 (.875) record in NSIC Tournament matches. The Huskies have advanced to the championship match in each of the teams five tournament appearances which have all come in the last five seasons. The Huskies won the tournament in 2021, 2022 and 2024 and finished as the runner-up in 2019 and 2023.

LAST TIME OUT
SCSU opened the NSIC Tournament by sweeping (6) No. 13 Southwest Minnesota State at Halenbeck Hall in St. Cloud on Tuesday evening.

Notes from the match
3-0 win vs. (6) #13 Southwest Minnesota State (11-18-25)

The Huskies improved to 29-28 all-time against Southwest Minnesota State and 8-2 in their last 10 matchups against the Mustangs. SCSU swept the season series and is on a three-match win streak. The Huskies are now 7-11 all-time against SMSU at Halenbeck Hall and 3-0 against the Mustangs in the NSIC tournament, after also earning quarterfinal sweeps in 2021 and 2022.
SCSU finished the season 13-2 at home and is 72-10 (.878) in its last 82 matches at Halenbeck Hall.
The Huskies are 18-2 in three set matches this season.
SCSU improved to 14-2 (.875) all-time in NSIC Tournament matches and 6-0 in quarterfinal matches, advancing to its sixth consecutive tournament semifinals.
SCSU led the match in points (62-35), kills (46-31), hitting percentage (.370 - .103), aces (8-2), blocks (8-2), assists (45-28) and digs (60-53).
The Huskies .370 hitting percentage was the third best mark of the season, their 45 assists were tied for the second most in a three-set match and their 60 digs were the second most in a three-set match.
Sophomore setter Braya LaPlant (Grand Rapids, Minn.) posted a 40-assist, 10 dig double-double with four block assists. It was her seventh double-double of the season and first since Oct. 24 against Northern State. LaPlant's 40 assists were the third most in a three-set match this season.
Junior outside hitter Shelby Kimm (North Liberty, Iowa) recorded a 15-kill (.364 hitting percentage), 12-dig double-double with one solo block. It was her 14^th double-double of the season (second consecutive). Kimm's 15 kills were tied for the second most in a three-set match this season and her 16.0 points were tied for the fourth most in a three-set match.
Sophomore libero Laurin Hamann (Manitowoc, Wis.) posted 17 digs and three aces. Her 17 digs were the fifth most in a three set match this season.
Redshirt sophomore Abby Wachal (Lincoln, Neb.) tallied 12 digs and eight kills (.348 hitting percentage).
Graduate opposite Sam Zimmerman (Moorhead, Minn.) contributed nine kills (.391 hitting percentage) and four digs.
Redshirt senior middle blocker Ella Thompson (Lakeville, Minn.) posted eight kills on 15 swings (.400 hitting percentage) and three block assists
Senior middle blocker Emilie Planert (De Pere, Wis.) recorded five kills (.500 hitting percentage) and four block assists.

ALL-NSIC HUSKIES
St. Cloud State Volleyball had four student-athletes earn all-conference honors as the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) announced its end of season awards on November 13. Junior outside hitter Shelby Kimm (North Liberty, Iowa), sophomore setter Braya LaPlant (Grand Rapids, Minn.) and redshirt senior middle blocker Ella Thompson (Lakeville, Minn.) were named to the first team, while graduate opposite Sam Zimmerman (Moorhead, Minn.) earned second team honors.

It is the sixth time in program history that SCSU has had four or more players named as all-conference performers and the third time while as a member of the NSIC, which have all come in the last five seasons. Additionally, the Huskies put at least three players on the first team for the fourth time in the last five seasons.

Kimm earned her first all-conference honor after ranking in the top 11 of points/set, kills/set and digs/set among NSIC players in conference matches. She is currently No. 5 in points/set (3.98), No. 6 in kills/set (3.53) and No. 11 in digs/set (3.83) and has posted double-doubles (10) in over half the NSIC matches played so far. She is having a breakout season and already has single season career best marks in kills (288), kills/set (3.43), hitting percentage (.261), digs/set (3.43), block assists (35), total blocks (36), blocks/set (0.43), points (327.5) and points/set (3.90) and is approaching her best in digs (288). She has also produced single match career highs in kills (19), attacks (50), digs (28), block assists (seven) and hitting percentage (.667).

LaPlant was named as an all-conference performer in her first year as the team's starting setter after leading the SCSU offense to the most kills/set among NSIC teams during conference play (14.95) and tied for the fourth best hitting percentage (.268). Individually, she ranks No. 2 in assists/set (11.84) and tied for No. 8 in aces/set (0.39) while recording five double-doubles. She earned the first two NSIC Setter of the Week awards of her career this season (Sept. 29 and Oct. 27) and was the only Husky to earn weekly conference honors this season. LaPlant recently surpassed 1,000 career assists and is approaching 1,000 assists for the season (965).

Thompson, the 2025 NSIC Preseason Player of the Year, earned a spot on the first team for the second consecutive season after ranking in the top 13 of NSIC players during conference play in blocks/set, hitting percentage, points/set and kills/set. She is No. 6 in blocks/set (1.02), No. 8 in hitting percentage (.338), No. 9 in points/set (3.84) and No. 13 in kills/set (3.27). This season Thompson has new single season best marks in kills/set (3.38) and points/set (3.90) and is approaching new personal records in kills (301), solo blocks (eight), total blocks (84), blocks/set (0.94) and points (347). She surpassed 1,000 career kills, 300 total blocks, 100 matches played and 400 sets played this season.

Zimmerman gained all-conference recognition for the second time in her career, after being named to the first team in 2023. This season, she is No. 7 in service aces/set (0.45) and No. 11 in hitting percentage (3.16) among conference players during NSIC matches. This season, she is No. 1 in aces/set, No. 2 in hitting percentage, No. 3 in kills/set (2.55) and No. 4 in points/set (3.22) on the team during conference play. Zimmerman has also set new career single match highs in aces (four – three times) and digs (seven).

NSIC Release

All-NSIC
First Team:
Shelby Kimm
Braya LaPlant
Ella Thompson

Second Team:
Sam Zimmerman

NCAA (Top 20) / NSIC (Top 3) TEAM STATISTICAL RANKINGS
(as of 11/19)

NCAA
- No. 2 – kills (1,541)
- No. 3 – kills/set (14.82)
- No. 4 – assists (1,412)
- No. 8 – assists/set (13.58)
- No. 12 – hitting percentage (.269)
NSIC
- No. 1 – kills/set (14.82)
- No. 1 – kills (1,541)
- No. 1 – assists (1,412)
- No. 2 – assists/set (13.58)
- No. 2 – aces/set (2.08)
- No. 2 – service aces (216)
- No. 3 – digs (1,713)
- No. 3 – win percentage (.800)
- No. 3 – attacks (3,800)

NCAA (Top 50) / NSIC (Top 15) INDIVIDUAL STATISTICAL RANKINGS
(as of 11/19)

Sophomore libero Laurin Hamann
- NSIC
  - No. 4 – digs (478)
  - No. 5 – digs/set (4.60)
  - No. 5 – aces (43)
  - No. 8– aces/set (0.41)
Junior outside hitter/opposite Shelby Kimm
- NSIC
  - No. 87– points/set (3.90)
  - No. 8 – kills/set (3.41)
  - No. 11 – digs/set (3.44)
  - No. 11 – attacks/set (8.65)
  - No. 12 – attacks (804)
  - No. 12 – kills (317)
  - No. 14 – digs (320)
Sophomore setter Braya LaPlant
- NCAA
  - No. 6 – assists/set (11.45)
  - No. 25 – assists (1,053)
- NSIC
  - No. 3 – assists/set (11.45)
  - No. 6 – assists (1,053)
  - No. 13 – aces/set (0.36)
Redshirt senior middle blocker Ella Thompson
- NSIC
  - No. 8 – points/set (3.90)
  - No. 8 – blocks/set (0.92)
  - No. 9 – kills/set (3.40)
  - No. 9 – hitting percentage (.339)
  - No. 9 – total blocks (88)
  - No. 10 – kills (326)
Redshirt sophomore outside hitter Abby Wachal
- NSIC
  - No. 15 – attacks/set (8.11)
Graduate student opposite Sam Zimmerman
- NSIC
  - No. 4 – aces/set (0.44)
  - No. 11 – aces (35)
  - No. 14 – hitting percentage (.319)

CAREER MILESTONES
Senior setter Emma Berran (Inver Grove Heights, Minn.) became just the fourth player in program history to surpass 4,000 career assists on senior day (Nov. 8)

Sophomore setter Braya LaPlant (Grand Rapids, Minn.) became the 17th player in program history to surpass 1,000 career assists during the Huskies final home regular season day (Nov. 8)

Head coach Chad Braegelmann became just the second coach in SCSU Volleyball history to surpass 200 wins as the program's head coach on Nov. 8.

NCAA CENTRAL REGION RANKINGS
St. Cloud State Volleyball (24-6, 18-2 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference) was ranked No. 6 in the third NCAA Volleyball Regional rankings, as announced by the organization on Wednesday. The Huskies were one of four NSIC teams ranked, joining Concordia-St. Paul, Minnesota State and Wayne State in the final set of regional rankings.

St. Cloud State is looking to make its sixth straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Huskies have made the NCAA Tournament a total of 10 times in program history. St. Cloud State continues NSIC Tournament play on Friday at 5 p.m. with a semifinal match against (2) #2 Wayne State at the Gangelhoff Center on the campus of Concordia-St. Paul.

The NSIC, the Mid-America Athletic Association (MIAA) and the Great American Conference (GAC) make up the 40-team NCAA Central Region. The top eight teams in the region will advance to the NCAA region tournament on December 4-7. Automatic bids are granted to the winners of the MIAA, GAC and NSIC postseason tournaments, with the remaining five spots awarded on an at-large basis.

The NCAA Volleyball selection show will be streamed online on Monday, November 24 at 6:30 p.m. (CT) on NCAA.com.

The championship quarterfinals, semifinals and final match will take place Thursday-Saturday, December 11-13, at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

Nov. 19 NCAA Central Region Rankings (overall record, in region record for games through Nov. 16)

Nebraska Kearney^ (26-3, 19-3)
Wayne State* (26-3, 22-2)
Missouri Western^ (21-6, 19-5)
Concordia St. Paul* (24-4, 20-3)
Washburn^ (24-3, 21-3)
St. Cloud State* (23-6, 20-3)
Central Oklahoma^ (26-4, 23-4)
Emporia State^ (21-6, 20-4)
Central Missouri^ (20-7, 20-7)
Minnesota State* (23-5, 21-5)

* NSIC Team
^ MIAA Team
& GAC Team

Full NCAA DII Volleyball Region Rankings
NSIC Release

LET'S GO POLLING
The Huskies were ranked No. 11 for the second consecutive week in the Nov. 17 (week 11) edition of the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA)/TARAFLEX Division II Poll.

Under the direction of Head Coach Chad Braegelmann, the program has been ranked for 80 consecutive weeks (including 48 weeks in the top 10), dating back to the 2019 season. The Huskies have spent a total of 154 weeks in the AVCA top 20/25 Poll in program history, including 73 weeks in the top 10.

SCSU in the 2025 AVCA DII National Poll
#3 – Preseason
#10 – Week One
#16 – Week Two
#15 – Week Three
#13 – Week Four
#10 – Week Five
#11 – Week Six
#11 – Week Seven
#11 – Week Eight
#10 – Week Nine
#11 – Week Ten
#11 – Week Eleven

NSIC SETTER OF THE WEEK
Sophomore setter Braya LaPlant (Grand Rapids, Minn.) was named the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) Setter of the Week for the second time this season/of her career on Monday. She is the only Husky to earn weekly conference honors so far this season.

The sophomore setter led the NSIC in assists/set (11.82) while ranking fifth in service aces/set (0.64). She also chipped in 1.91 digs/set, 1.77 points/set, 0.73 kills/set and 0.55 blocks/set. LaPlant helped guide the SCSU offense to 15.36 kills/set which ranked No. 2 in the conference and a .294 team hitting percentage which was fourth best in the NSIC.

LaPlant's best performance came in the Huskies five-set win over No. 22 Northern State Friday, when she recorded a 58-assist, 11-dig double-double with four aces, three kills, three block assists and two solo blocks. It was her sixth double-double of the season and first since Oct. 11 and her two solo blocks were a new single-match career high. Additionally, the Grand Rapids, Minnesota native dished out 41 assists in SCSU's sweep of No. 23 Minnesota State on Tuesday which were the second most of any three-set match this season for the Huskies.

NSIC Release

2025 NSIC Weekly Honors
Setter of the Week

Braya LaPlant (Sept. 29)
Braya LaPlant (Oct. 27)

NSIC SPOTLIGHT
Redshirt senior middle blocker Ella Thompson (Lakeville, Minn.) was featured on the fifth episode of the 2025-26 season of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) spotlight following SCSU's 3-0 week and 5-0 start to conference play.

Watch on YouTube
NSIC Release

ALL-TOURNEY TEAMS
Sophomore setter Braya LaPlant (Grand Rapids, Minn) and redshirt senior middle blocker Ella Thompson (Lakeville, Minn.) were named to the 2025 UP North Tournament All-Tournament Team.

Senior setter Emma Berran (Inver Grove Heights, Minn) and Thompson were named to the 2025 Western Washington Invitational All-Tournament Team to open the season.

For all the latest on St. Cloud State Volleyball, stay tuned to SCSUHuskies.com and follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.